Purpose:
Our program was established in 1985 after Congress designated Buzzards Bay an "estuary of national significance." We joined the NEP in 1987. Our mission is to protect and restore water quality and living resources in Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed through the implementation of the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

The ... Buzzards Bay NEP is one 28 National Estuary Programs in the United States and its territories. These NEPs have become a model for watershed management and planning around the country. For more information about the National Estuary Program, visit the US EPA National Estuary Program home page.

Volunteers measure early morning oxygen (between 6 AM - 9 AM), temperature, salinity, and water clarity (secchi disk) on a set schedule once a week from May to September. These are referred to as our basic parameters. The basic parameters give us an immediate snapshot of the health of the bay and are an excellent first warning system. From these measurements volunteers can determine, on the spot, the percent of oxygen in the water and determine where additional monitoring is required. A value of oxygen below 40% is low and a possible symptom of eutrophication, and an indication that animals may be already stressed by low oxygen in parts of the bay.

In addition to oxygen measurements, citizens collect water samples for nutrient and chlorophyll analysis. These samples are collected from the inner to the outer portions of each embayment approximately four times between July and August.

Sponsor: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States Environmental Protection Agency